Dang, God is suuuuper pissed at the Israelites. It's actually quite frightening to read because although He was talking to them a long, long time ago, these people He's grilling might as well be us.
"2 There is only cursing, lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed."
Doesn't this sound like our generation? Everything is about deceiving people, cheating on people, murdering people.
"4 "But let no man bring a charge,
let no man accuse another,
for your people are like those
who bring charges against a priest."
But we have no one to blame but ourselves. No finger-pointing.
" 6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
"Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children."
The priests, who should be God-fearing, holy men don't even practice what they preach. God's sick of them too because they reject His knowledge.
"8 They feed on the sins of my people
and relish their wickedness."
They only wait around for others to make mistakes and start pointing fingers and judging. I feel this way sometimes.. Must get away from self-righteousness.
" 9 And it will be: Like people, like priests.
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds."
You can't tell the people from the priests, the priests from the people. They act no better than each other. Imagine a church where its leaders who are put against higher standards don't act or seem any different than their own followers. Shameful...
" 10 "They will eat but not have enough;
they will engage in prostitution but not increase,
because they have deserted the LORD
to give themselves 11 to prostitution,
to old wine and new,
which take away the understanding 12 of my people.
They consult a wooden idol
and are answered by a stick of wood.
A spirit of prostitution leads them astray;
they are unfaithful to their God."
What will happen to these people? Without God, there is absolute no satisfaction. No amount of food, pleasure, friends will satiate our souls. Turning to idols for advice is useless.
"16 The Israelites are stubborn,
like a stubborn heifer.
How then can the LORD pasture them
like lambs in a meadow?"
We need to be less like stubborn cows and be more like submissive lambs.
